The coding region of the human c-mos pseudogene contains Alu repeat insertions

Area of Science:

• Genomics
• Molecular Biology
• Evolutionary Biology

Background:

• Previous cloning efforts identified human genome segments.
• The viral mos gene probe is used to identify homologous sequences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the nucleotide sequence of an 841-bp human genomic fragment.
• To analyze regions homologous to the viral mos gene probe.
• To investigate the evolutionary history of the human c-mos gene.

Main Methods:

• Nucleotide sequencing of an 841-bp DNA fragment.
• Sequence homology analysis with human and murine c-mos genes.
• Identification of Alu-family elements and direct repeats.

Main Results:

• The sequenced fragment showed homology to human and murine c-mos coding regions.
• Two Alu-family elements, flanked by direct repeats, were identified within the fragment.
• Several termination codons were present, suggesting a non-functional gene.

Conclusions:

• The human c-mos gene likely originated from a gene duplication event around the time of mammalian divergence.
• The gene was subsequently converted into a pseudogene.
• The pseudogene acquired insertions of two Alu elements during its evolutionary history.